Robert Portis, Author at The Fight City - Page 2 of 8The Fight City

Robert Portis

Browsing All Posts By Robert Portis

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Sept. 12, 1951: Robinson vs Turpin

The first Robinson vs Turpin battle took place in London, England just two months before the second, and it will forever stand as one of the greatest upsets ...
On September 12, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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Sept. 9, 1997: Zaragoza vs Morales

It was the classic confrontation: age and experience vs youth and raw talent. Southpaw Daniel Zaragoza was the grizzled veteran, a survivor of 65 professional battles and some 21 ...
On September 7, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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Sept. 3, 1936: Ambers vs Canzoneri

Tony Canzoneri was already a lock for the Hall of Fame, not to mention an all-time great lightweight when he entered Madison Square Garden in May of 1935 ...
On September 3, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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Aug. 9, 1980: Palma vs Randolph

In 1976, a group of young athletes journeyed to Montreal to fight for their country. There were no great expectations for the men who populated the American Olympic ...
On August 9, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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Aug. 4, 1947: Williams vs Montgomery

Ike Williams and Bob Montgomery made no secret of the fact that they disliked one another and their animosity made for a pair of brutal clashes in Philadelphia, ...
On August 4, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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July 31, 1908: Ketchel vs Kelly

Alas, for so many of boxing’s truly great champions, precious little or no film exists of their exploits, but despite this, we possess solid evidence of their splendid ...
On July 31, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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July 25, 1902: Jeffries vs Fitzsimmons II

It is difficult to say how heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries would have matched up against more contemporary boxers, but there’s no doubt he was an extraordinary fighter. ...
On July 25, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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July 16, 1947: Zale vs Graziano II

In 1945 Rocky Graziano stood at the precipice of ruin. Just 26-years-old, with a record of 35-6-5, he had lost two matches in a row, two high profile defeats ...
On July 16, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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July 9, 1989: Rosario vs Jones

When we compare and rank boxers of the past, something all serious fight fans love to do, one of the key criteria is longevity. This has less to ...
On July 9, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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July 7, 1985: Chavez vs Mayweather I

It’s 1985 and everyone south of the border already knows who the next great Mexican boxer will be. The only problem is pretty much no one north of ...
On July 7, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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July 6, 1979: Gonzalez vs Oguma IV

The career of Betulio Gonzalez, which should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame but for reasons unknown is not, featured numerous clashes with various champions, but was ...
On July 6, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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June 29, 1942: Charles vs Burley II

No one knowledgeable about the long history of prizefighting doubts the standing of Charley Burley. The man was so good even Sugar Ray Robinson avoided him. And no ...
On June 28, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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June 22, 1938: Louis-Schmeling II

Former world champion Max Schmeling was a solid 10-to-1 underdog when he faced rising contender and awesome knockout artist Joe Louis in a major heavyweight showdown in June ...
On June 22, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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June 18, 1941: Louis vs Conn I

It is 1941 and while some say death and taxes are the only sure things in life, American sports fans know different. There exists a third certainty: Joe Louis ...
On June 17, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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June 12, ’89: Hearns vs Leonard II

Their first meeting in 1981, one of the biggest fights in boxing history, was called “The Showdown,” an appellation which made sense given that each held one of ...
On June 12, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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Fight City Legends: The Smoke City Wildcat

They called them the Roaring Twenties, that crazy decade following World War I when the economy boomed, “speakeasies” opened on every other corner, the “flappers” started showing a ...
On June 6, 2018 / By Robert Portis
The Top Twelve 31
Top 12 All-Time Greatest Heavyweights

At a very leisurely pace over the last couple of years, The Fight City has offered its own idiosyncratic rankings of the all-time greatest boxers in each of ...
On June 2, 2018 / By Robert Portis
The Top Twelve 6
Top 12 All-Time Greatest Chins

The last line of defense for a boxer is the durability of his mandible. Here are the 12 best chins in boxing history, the men who faced the ...
On May 30, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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May 25, 1980: Cooney vs Young

“I’m going to win this fight, going to win it big. I’ve trained hard for this and I’ve got it all together. I hear this Cooney kid is ...
On May 25, 2018 / By Robert Portis
Fight Reports 1
Fight Report: Stevenson vs Jack

The Event Stevenson vs Jack represented one of the best and most interesting match-ups to be made in the light heavyweight division for some time, not to mention ...
On May 20, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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The Weekend That Was

This edition of my semi-regular weekend recaps is late and is going to be a bit on the random side because your friendly scribe here tripped over a ...
On May 14, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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May 8, 1982: Mancini vs Frias

By this time all of America knew the Ray Mancini story; precious few knew the tale of Arturo Frias. While “Boom Boom” Mancini was something out of a ...
On May 8, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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May 5, 1973: Jofre vs Legra

Boxing comebacks are usually a bad idea. Boxing comebacks involving former world champions over the age of 35 are, George Foreman notwithstanding, almost always a terrible idea. But ...
On May 5, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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The Weekend That Was

Khan vs Lo Greco Amir Khan finally returned to the ring yesterday–following a high-profile KO loss to Canelo Alvarez, a bone-graft surgery on his right hand, and appearances ...
On April 22, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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April 20, 1960: Fullmer vs Giardello

As most boxing fans know, they made a movie about wrongly imprisoned middleweight contender Rubin “Hurricane” Carter with Denzel Washington in the leading role. And while no doubt ...
On April 20, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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April 16, 1952: Robinson vs Graziano

Sometimes match-ups that appear obvious, can’t-miss attractions, just don’t happen for whatever reason. Such was the case with Sugar Ray Robinson and Rocky Graziano. Both were based in ...
On April 16, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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April 15, 1985: Hagler vs Hearns

Hagler vs Hearns. Next to The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, maybe the most famous boxing match in middleweight history. Billed as simply “The Fight,” what is there to ...
On April 15, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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Boxcaster: Murata vs Blandamura

With all the disappointment surrounding the scuttled rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, it would seem the middleweight division is a frozen wasteland: so much talent, ...
On April 12, 2018 / By Robert Portis
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April 11, 1981: Holmes vs Berbick

In 1981 few doubted that Larry Holmes was one of the best boxers in the world, but rarely had the holder of the most coveted prize in all ...
On April 11, 2018 / By Robert Portis
The Top Twelve 12
Top 12 All-Time Greatest Heavyweight Punchers

When it comes to popular water-cooler topics in boxing, few, if any, top this one: who is the most powerful puncher to ever step through the ropes? Now ...
On April 4, 2018 / By Robert Portis

The Fight City

Montreal is The Fight City. Known in years past as "Sin City" and "Babylon on the St. Lawrence", it saw more than its share of ring legends over the decades. A metropolis where hundreds of young warriors train and battle each day in its many gyms, it is where Archie Moore, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Bernard Hopkins all found greatness. It is a city of fights and fighters, of hockey and heroes, of broken dreams and immortal glory, a city unlike any other. Montreal is The Fight City.

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